Born in Niagara Falls, Mark Jacobs spent fifteen years living and working in countries outside the United States. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay, where he spent two years in Potrero Yapepó, a remote village in the south of the country. As a Foreign Service officer, he served in Europe, Turkey, and Latin America. He currently lives in rural Virginia, on 32 acres of what used to be a farm, where he writes full time.

Jacobs holds a doctorate from Drew University, a masters from the School for International Training, and a bachelors degree from Alma College. He speaks Spanish, Turkish, and Guaraní.